-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Self-confessed BlackBerry addict President Barack Obama may not have to kick the thumbing habit after all , despite the concerns of a notoriously technophobic White House .

Obama was a self-confessed BlackBerry addict during his White House campaign .

`` The president has a BlackBerry , '' White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday , clearing up weeks of speculation about whether President Obama would be able to hold on to a cherished method of communicating .

The decision to allow Obama to keep a smartphone is `` a compromise that allows him to stay in touch with senior staff and a small group of personal friends , '' Gibbs told the media in his first press conference since the inauguration .

`` Use will be limited and the security is enhanced to ensure his ability to communicate but to do so effectively , '' Gibbs also said . `` And to do so in a way that is protected . ''

The press secretary refused to provide more details about the new president 's device , already being called the `` BarackBerry . '' Watch CNN 's Errol Barnett reports on the president 's new phone ''

Obama was often seen hunched over the mobile e-mail cell phone device during his election campaign and even featured at No. 2 on one celebrity Web site 's list of obsessive BlackBerry users .

But , like previous Oval Office incumbents , Obama had been expected to take a vow of technological celibacy following his inaugural oath on Tuesday , despite telling CNBC in an interview that security officials would have to `` pry it out of my hands . '' He said a mobile device would help him stay in touch with the real world . Should President Obama be allowed to keep his BlackBerry ? Tell us what you think

E-mail has long been treated with suspicion by the Secret Service because of fears it could be hacked into by foreign espionage agencies , or that sensitive information could reach the public domain via a single mistaken strike of the `` send '' key .

President George W. Bush was forced to give up using e-mail when he took charge , while President Bill Clinton sent just two e-mails during his administration -- one to test that the system worked and the second to veteran astronaut John Glenn before his trip into space in 1998 .

There are also concerns that mobile devices such as the BlackBerry , which contain built-in GPS technology , could be hacked , revealing the president 's location within a few feet .

But according to reports Thursday , Obama may actually have been issued a spy-proof alternative to his favorite toy .

Writing on his blog for the Atlantic magazine , Marc Ambinder reports that the National Security Agency has approved a $ 3,350 smartphone -- inevitably dubbed the `` BarackBerry '' -- for Obama 's use .

The exclusive Sectera Edge , made by General Dynamics , is reportedly capable of encrypting top secret voice conversations and handling classified documents .

But Obama may have pushed his Secret Service handlers ' technological patience far enough . Ambinder also reports that instant messaging in the White House will still be a definite no-no .

CNN 's Martina Stewart contributed to this report .

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Report : Security officials approve $ 3,350 smartphone for Barack Obama

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Obama was an inveterate BlackBerry user during his campaign

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Security concerns that e-mail could be hacked , or GPS used to locate president

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Phone capable of encrypting voice conversations , handling classified documents